Joshmcswain Reviews

Love Undercover (2024– )

Entertaining trash, interesting idea but flawed execution

[6/10 · 24 May 2024]

I'll open by saying: I've never watched any of these type of shows before. Reality TV is not my thing, but since they were European footballers I decided to give it a shot. I'm not a binge watcher, but I finished this show in about a week. It made me see why people watch The Bachelor and stuff like that--storylines develop and there are people you root for to succeed and others you want to fail. All this said, I'm not naive to the fact that these shows manufacture conflict and embellish things for the camera. So I took it all with a grain of salt, but you can still be entertained.

The show suffered from two major problems in my opinion.

1. The women on the show were far too similar. They pretty much all from LA, NYC area, Miami or central Texas. Moreover, they were almost all influencers, dancers/entertainers, etc. One of them was a teacher, but why not have other more "normal" professions and have more varied areas to choose from? Like, have a nurse, an accountant, etc.? Moreover, bring in ladies from the midwest like maybe a farmhand from Nebraska or Iowa.

2. There's too many women to begin with. They had 18 of them (and only five men), and naturally as a viewer it gets hard to keep them all straight and some of them barely got any screen time. I think 12 would have been a better number.

There are a few other quibbles I have with the show: 1. Some of these women were genuinely terrible people. Brittany was the worst. She literally had a great date with Marco and then only accepted his invitation into the house so she could get with Sebastian. Sebastian in the end took her back to his home and ultimately rejected her. Karma. Just a vain and materialistic egomaniac. Jacklyn also was awful. Her arrogance was insufferable all show. Just so stuck up and vindictive.

Moreover, a lot of them were just trampy. Renee had on a high slit dress in the first episode with nothing on underneath. Seriously? If you want to go commando that's fine, but wear something that won't have your privates show. She was also very much like the two above, wondering if any of these guys could afford her.

2. The guys should have told the ladies the truth before meeting the families. I get the point of the show was to convince the woman, but why lie to the families? Seems unneeded.

3. I get that you want to show these women in flattering clothes, but how many shots of a woman's ass in a swimsuit that leaves all of both cheeks exposed do we really need? After a while, it got kinda old. I don't mean to sound like a prude, but I'm like, "we get it, these are attractive women in bikinis".

4. The men should have had more time to know and formulate their backstories. They were really falling apart at certain points.

I have ragged on the women, but the men in this show are far from perfect. Sebastian in particular was annoying. He kept talking about finding true love and only wanted Brittany for her appearance. By the end of the show he wisened up, but there were missed opportunities for him in the show. Estefani was the one he should have been with, she brought out the best in him. Lloyd was a good guy I thought, but naive about what he was getting into. The other three guys were all older, had a little bit more life experience. Marco was kinda overlooked the whole show, Jamie got frustrated early on because he wasn't getting dates, Ryan was kinda just there. He seemed like a good guy and would talk if you talked to him but was almost too easygoing.

Moreover, some of the women were likable. Abby was probably my favorite. Some others that stood out were Gabby, Tinah, Estefani, Ariana and I guess Sofia Q. There are a number of women I haven't talked about here, not all of them were awful, some of them may have been okay if I had seen more of them, others were kind of annoying.

So in conclusion, if you're looking for a short show that is mindless entertainment this might do it. Don't have too high of expectations.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)

Satisfactory, even if not necessary film

[6/10 · 8 December 2023]

Minor spoilers ahead.

I watched this film with no expectations since most reviews said it was not good. However, I went into it with an open mind and was pleasantly surprised. This isn't some amazing work of cinema, but it's not a bad way to spend 2.5 hours. Watching it once, I am not sure I'd watch it again but it's an alright movie.

The biggest quibble is the film is too long. There could have been 15-20 minutes trimmed off the film to make it less of a drag. The opening scene drags, it could have just been Indy stealing the dial instead of an extended scene about the lance that pierced the side of Jesus is a fake and then it's not relevant to the rest of the story.

The chase scene was long and could have been shortened.

We know that Indiana Jones is about how Indy is changed by those around him, and while he is reconciled with a long lost goddaughter that really can't outdo his long lost son from Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Regardless of what you think of Crystal Skull, it seemed like a natural conclusion for Indy.

So all in all, as long as your don't have your mind made up beforehand you'll enjoy it even though it is flawed.

Welcome to Wrexham (2022– )

Season one excellent, Season two not so much

[7/10 · 17 November 2023]

The first season of this show was excellent. Engrossing. They did a great job of blending the football and the personal while showing the other side of Rob and Ryan. Was clearly made for an American audience, which is fine for me as an American but I can see how it would turn off those that aren't.

The second season is so uneven. A lot of episodes are 24 or so minutes after the first season was all 45 or so minutes. Honestly it seemed like they ran out of ideas and couldn't flesh things out in season two. They didn't keep the same gags like "Phil's enthusiasm" when he says the F word. But regardless the second season didn't captivate me like the first.

S1=9, S2=5. So they average out to 7.

Hidden Figures (2016)

It's okay

[5/10 · 7 July 2023]

I really wanted to like this film, but there is just so much wrong with it.

1. While I'm not denying that African Americans faced awful situations during the history of this country, as others have pointed out nasa was integrated by this time. Most of the racism at nasa was artificial drama.

2. Not to take away from the brilliance of these women, but they literally know IBM computers better than IBM employees and know how the capsule will do better than all the rocket scientists? I'm not buying that.

3. Jim Parsons and Kirsten Dunst absolutely drag this film down. Parsons played the role exactly like Sheldon, and every scene he was in all I see is Sheldon working at nasa. Dunst's attempt at a southern accent was so bad every scene she was in became insufferable.

On the positive side, this is an inspiring story and all the African American women do a very good job with their roles. I also thought Kevin Costner delivered a solid performance.

Kept Woman (2015 TV Movie)

Interesting idea, flawed execution

[5/10 · 11 April 2023]

This was a decent film, short and to the point. It's not some grand work of cinema, so don't have huge expectations. Actors and story were both fine, however there are gaping plot holes.

-why did Jess and Evan go into their apartment after realizing they'd been robbed and not call the cops immediately?

-why did Jess go into Simon's house alone when she was clearly suspicious of him?

-why did Evan not call the police after Simon broke into their house to steal Jess' clothes? Surely Simon would have left footprints, hair, something even though he was wearing gloves so no finger prints

-why did the cop show up to Simon's house with no backup after he got the clue that something was up? Out of uniform and unarmed no less.

-when Simon logs into Jess' email to send the fake breakup note to Evan, there should be some notice about a login from a new IP address that account would have been alerted.

-the idea of having two wives in the 50s would have been unheard-of, so how does he justify his perfect 50s life in that way?

-if Jess had killed Simon, she and Robin would have been found eventually. Simon stops going to work, the University tries to reach him and doesn't. They call the police who search his house and eventually find them. Even though there was no way out, there still would have been a way in. Either break the steel door or get in through the ventilation. There's no way the basement could only be known to Simon. Either it was all there when he moved in, in which case the city would know about it, or he somehow dug all the dirt, installed the foundation and walls (gotta get the cement somehow), did the electricity, plumbing, and ventilation all himself without anyone noticing. That's not at all believable.

This isn't a great film, but a watchable one. It moves at a steady pace and keeps you engaged, despite the absurdity of many parts.

The Mandalorian: Chapter 19: The Convert (2023) Season 3, Episode 3

Disjointed

[5/10 · 16 March 2023]

This episode seems like two episodes of two different shows mashed together. The opening was great with Bo and Din fighting the Tie fighters. But then most of the rest of the episode was about Dr. Pershing. Which is fine if you have other characters, but much like the fifth episode of the Book of Boba Fett, the title character got sidelined in his own show.

The whole thing with Pershing could have been ten minutes of the episode instead of half of it.

I am starting to wonder if the writers are starting to run out of ideas. This is a site about Din and Mandalorians, don't throw something that looks like it was from Andor in there.

Also, the imperial warlord angle was never elaborated on. Still don't know why Bo had her home bombed. Leave that out, but have two ex imperial agents eating lollipops.

Andor (2022– )

There's good and bad

[5/10 · 24 November 2022]

There are folks that think this show is the best thing since sliced bread. Others think this is the most boring show ever made. The truth lies somewhere in between imo.

The first six episodes were kinda dull and drawn out. It's like the inverse of Kenobi and BoBF where they crammed so much story into six episodes and now they're trying to stretch very little story, and one that doesn't really need to be told, over 24 episodes.

Starting with episode 7 it gets better. Still this show has way too many shots of people walking and too much political dialogue.

You may think I'm one of those people who wants to see lazer swords and explosions. Yes, because this is Star WARS for goodness sake, not Star political thriller.

It feels like an HBO show, not a Star Wars show. If this is your thing, that's fine. I'm also not saying all Star Wars content has to be the same, but this series feels like it goes nowhere and doesn't add anything essential to the Star Wars universe.

The Book of Boba Fett (2021–2022)

Best episodes have no Boba

[6/10 · 6 March 2022]

Much like the sequel trilogy, they made this up as they went along. Episode 5 had no Boba Fett, 6 he had one line. The first four episodes are meh, the flashbacks are tiresome.

V (2009–2011)

Worth watching

[7/10 · 16 February 2022]

Overall good story, but toward the end it got out of control. There were so many hidden agendas, backstabbing, etc. That got really tiresome. Also they made numerous plot holes that they would patch up by creating another one. Still fun to watch if you can ignore those two things. The actress who played Anna was do good, best part of the show.

Mr Inbetween (2018–2021)

It's OK

[5/10 · 8 February 2022]

Season 1 is pretty good Season 2 it starts to go downhill Season 3 is soooooo dull, I only finished it because I was like "I got this far, might as well"

Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)

A good movie, but still not quite as good as the originals

[7/10 · 18 December 2015]

This movie was good. It avoided a lot of the problems of the prequels. The script was good, story was good, acting and directing was mostly good (more on that to come) and it was intense. It's gripping film that gets back to the adventure type feel of the originals.

That said, there were some problems. 1. The nostalgia element is overdone. After about 15 minutes of general exposition it moves kinda slowly and they make a ton of references to the originals. I would have rather seen less of the homage and get more into this story. 2. The cast is too big. There's too many characters in this movie and so many of them don't get enough screen time. Captain Phasma was almost unnecessary in this one. She has like five lines and is in about three scenes. If you'd taken her out the story would be basically the same. I also thought Poe was underused. Seemed like a great character. 3. None of the villains were that intimidating. Kylo Ren was obviously very strong with the force but he acts like a child most of the film, and fails at everything he does. Phasma just gave orders, did nothing to show that she was an elite soldier, which she was being billed as. Hux was best villain in this one. 4. Rey calls the Falcon "garbage" but it's almost indestructible. Also Rey is so strong with the force without any training that she can reverse the mind probe on Kylo and beat him in a duel. Kylo was shown stopping lasers in midair and freezing people. 5. Rey's vision in the middle of the film after she touched the lightsaber was a really important point that was not well explained. Maybe we'll hear more about it in ep8.

Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac and Domhall Gleeson were great. Adam Driver left something to be desired for me.

If you're looking for a Star Wars film with good action, witty jokes and a good story, this will do it. It's not perfect and may not be quite on par with the originals but it's certainly a step up from the prequels.

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Ugh

[1/10 · 29 September 2012]

Anything critics say I just assume the opposite. This is no exception. This film is littered with plot holes, unneeded scenes which drag on forever, barely any of the bat, horrible acting, clichéd as heck script, etc etc A few examples- 1. The very first scene, cool, but entirely unneeded. So they tore up a plane. Cool. 2. Batman looks and walks like he's 60 in the beginning, yet somehow by the end he is strong enough to fight with the guy who tore him a new one earlier? Please. 3. The note that Gordon had in his jacket about Harvey Dent- Gordon gets throw in a sewer and somehow Bane is able to read that note without a problem later? 4. All the police men go underground at the same time. Did anyone think that might be a bad idea? 5. Catwoman steals Batman's car and jewels, yet he gives her his motorcycle thing? Is he that forgiving? 6. Batman escapes the pit simply because he doesn't have a rope tied to him, and then somehow gets back to Gotham? Did he call Alfred and say "hey man, sorry I fired you last month, can you come get me in Africa?" I could go on...

But the worst part of all=the ending. The absolute worst ending to a movie ever. Before Batman drags the bomb away, gives that whole speech about how anyone can be a hero then a bomb with a six mile radius blows up. Then there is a mock funeral for Bruce, and honestly even after dragging on for over 2 hours, I felt sad. Then it just dragged on and gave the soap opera ending that somehow Bruce survived. Just awful. It has its place among the five worst movies I've ever seen. Right up there with Transformers 2 and King Kong among others.